News Releases

Apr112007

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on the Pentagon's announcement that the Army will extend tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to 15 months for all active-duty soldiers.

"Today's announcement means that our brave troops and the many families who await their safe arrival home are once again paying the price for this administration's refusal to change course in Iraq. We have asked everything of these men and women, and they have come through in every instance. It is time we honor their sacrifice and courage with a new direction.

"Of course this increased combat duty will also mean increased strains on these soldiers as they return home. We cannot continue to stretch our forces to the brink and not count them as a cost of this war. We need to provide a seamless transition of care from the battlefront, to the home front, and everywhere in between."